Ali Abare, Gombe
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has decried alleged sharp practices characterising the country’s pension scheme.
The Directorate stated this, on Wednesday, while undertaking the verification of pensioners, in Gombe State.
It described as ‘worrisome’ the crisis bedeviling pension scheme across the country previously characterised by allegations of misappropriation of funds, maladministration, corruption, fraud as well as numerous pensioners complaints among others.
PTAD also decried the absence of a credible data of pensioners despite earlier attempts by the defunct Pension Office, adding that PTAD has carried out verification exercise of
pensioners in the north east zone with a view to eliminating most of these sharp practices.
The pension directorate particularly decried the non-payment of monthly pension after retirement. It described as unacceptable situations where pension and gratuities are being paid in installments, removal of names from pension payment vouchers, as well as nonpayment of harmonized arrears among others.
The agency stated the urgent need to verify all pensioners under the Data Base System (DBS) for effective resolution of complaints.
PTAD said it presently operates four pension departments that includes the police pension department, customs, immigration and prisons pension department and treasury funded parastatals pension department.
In separate interviews with some pensioners at the venue of the verification exercise, Segun Oke, representative of Nitel Pensioners Association and Zainab Idris Haruna from Pension Bureau Gombe, commended PTAD for embarking on the exercise, stressing that the verification of pensioners in the north east was timely.